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Top 10 Lists: The Top 10 Video Game Characters That Would Do Well In The MLB

The Major League Baseball season has been underway for 3 weeks now, thus I'm a bit late with this top 10! Baseball is my #1 favourite sport, and my true passion in life; I have been playing fantasy baseball since I was 8/9 years old (1998), and I have a baseball tattoo on my back. Baseball is a special sport, truly unique from all other sports; there's no time limit, no halftime/intermissions, it is truly cerebral, and it requires the hardest skill in any sport (hitting a pitch). Like my other top tens, there are literally hundreds of video game characters that would succeed in the MLB, from a variety of video game genres, and from a variety of backgrounds (some baseball backgrounds, some other backgrounds). For this top ten, a variety of things will be considered; arm strength, bat wielding ability (if applicable!), quickness, instincts, etc. Some picks will be obvious, some will be obscure, and with that said, on to the list!

Claude Speed, one of the coolest characters in the video game world, starts the list off. Claude has a lot of skills that would translate to the game of baseball; he is remarkable when wielding a bat (and he swings that bat HARD), and he has a cannon of an arm. Couple that with his fast running speed, and Claude would be a perfect baseball player at many positions (outfield, shortstop, third base). One skill that would also aid him, is his elusiveness, which would probably make him a pretty good baserunner; his ease in escaping the authorities, gun wielding gang members, and muggers would aid Claude in avoiding tags when advancing to another base. Also, at 5'6, 257 pounds (which I'm SURE is a misprint), Claude has some bulk that will help him muscle a few balls that most hitters would hit for outs. Shady past or not, Claude Speed would make a fine Major League Baseball player.

Similar to Claude Speed, Kiryu Kazuma is involved with gangs... a lot. And also like Claude, Kiryu is pretty damn good with wielding a bat. Yes while its only for a small part in the third installment of the game, one can view Kiryu's skill as a hitter, and he's a damn good hitter at that. Being at an advanced age for a MLB player, and not as adept in other areas of the game as he is at hitting, Kiryu would make a fantastic Designated Hitter (for those who do not know, a player that solely hits, and does not play the field) in the American League, though he is slightly underweight at 143 pounds, and he stands at 5'9. His experience and leadership are also quality intangibles that Major League teams look for, intangibles that would also give him a few extra dollars in his contract.

Adam Hunter, the boxer from SOR comes in at #8. Though he (and the weapon, the baseball bat) is only restricted to the first SOR game, Adam is a big tank of a man, who can lay punishing blows with a baseball bat, on enemies. Boxers are in the upper echelon of athletes that are in shape, as they are workout warriors, trim, fit, and strong. Couple that with Adam's bat wielding ability, and you have a damn good baseball player. Adam is a tad slow, though his size and strength would make him a good player at 3rd base, or a corner outfield position (where speed are not that important). Standing at 6'3 and weighing 201 pounds, his anatomically PERFECT for either of these positions.

Sodom is a peculiar choice, though when you think about it, it makes sense. He's another big, strong, muscular guy, who is adept at wielding Masumunes, or Jittes. A Masumune is similar to a sword, and it is wielded with two hands, just like a baseball bat. The physical is not why I picked him though, as he is also rather large for a baseball player at 6'9, 335 pounds (much more suited to being a football lineman). The reason why I pick him is ethnicity. Yes, yes, he's an American, and you may be thinking, "big deal," however he is a special case. Sodom is Gaijin to the max, yet he will do anything to become Japanese. That being said, the success rate of Americans in the Japanese baseball league has almost always been supremely positive. Simply put, Americans traditionally tear up the Japanese league, as many are superior players to the Japanese (though in the past 5-6 years or so, this is not the case). If Sodom were to play in the American Major League after playing in the Japanese league, he would do just fine, as a corner outfielder or so.

Gunrock is a very versatile athlete, as he also made my NFL list as an offensive tackle. His size is comparable to former Major Leaguer, Walter Young (Both are 6'4, Gunrock outweighs him by 20 pounds though at 340 pounds), and while that size is more suited to a corner outfield spot, or for a first baseman, Gunrock's incredible arm would make him more suited to be a catcher. Catchers do not have to be fast (which Gunrock is not), have to be able to block balls (which Gunrock will, as he is HUGE), and they have to have cannons for arms (Gunrock has the strongest arm in the Power Stone world, being able to throw objects across entire screens). Gunrock also wields a bat very well, as he knocks opponents around. All of these skills would make Gunrock a valuable Major Leaguer indeed.

Hmm, is that Jason Heyward? Nah, its just obscure character Randy Fairbanks. Now, I'm not sure of his exact height and weight (as it is nowhere to be found), however Randy looks like current Atlanta Braves phenom, Jason Heyward, who is 6'5, 240 pounds. In other words, the guy has an outfielder's body, and Randy would make a perfect addition to a Major League team. A bit of a bonehead, Randy is big, durable, and he is great at wielding a baseball bat. Illbleed provides the perfect atmosphere as well, with the very first level having to do with a baseball player, and his father (appropriately titled, "Home Run of Death.)" Put Randy in centrefield, and prepare to score oodles of runs whenever he comes up to bat, not to mention how many outs he'll make in the field.

Siegfried Schtauffen, my favourite Soul series character, is quite fearsome with a long weapon; his <-, vertical swipe technique even looks like a baseball swing! Eric Hinske is my favourite player, and idol, and this technique by Siegfried was dubbed by one of my close friends as, "the Hinske 3 run homer." While he is listed at 5'6, 110 pounds, that has to be at the time of the first game, as he's gotten much bigger. Nevertheless, Siegfried would be great at either middle infield position (second base, shortstop) as he's quick, nimble, has great hands, and he has a mean stick. His long blonde hair and boyish looks would make him popular with the ladies as well, which would make Siegfried a damn good marketing tool too!

Some of you saw this coming! Yes, Splatterhouse, the awesome (but far from perfect) game where you hack people to bits, and the character you used was supremely adept at wielding a baseball bat; I'm talking about Rick himself! Rick has to save Jennifer, and what better way to save her, than bash people's heads in with a baseball bat? For this reason, Rick would make an excellent middle of the order hitter on a Major League team. It doesn't matter where you put him in the field, he will produce at the plate. His height and weight are not listed, thus whatever position he could be put at, is even more in question, as there are no measureables to grade him on. Measureables aside though, Rick would make a great Major Leaguer.

What game is this? I know, I never knew the name either until recently, but I spent a good bit of time on this game back in the day. Basically, its a beat-em-up where you go around, whacking people with baseball bats. Its mad, crazy fun, and I recommend you go play this game if you can find a cab. Anyways, Captain Jose, named after Jose Canseco, is the leader of the foursome. At 6'1, 174 he is a good size, and you can play him anywhere in the outfield. His bat is quick, his glove is sound, and he is a good runner; a good, well rounded player, though you wouldn't put him at pitcher. That spot is reserved for the number one video game character on this list...

Was there ever any doubt? Whenever one thinks of a video game baseball player, Shoma is the first one that springs to mind. Shoma comes from a baseball family, as his brother Shuuichi is a pitcher in his college, who looks primed for the Japanese major league. Shoma is quite undersized at 5'4, 125 pounds, however he is a special player; you can put him anywhere on the field defensively (though he is too short for first base, really!), and anywhere in the batting order, as he hits for power, is a fast runner, and has a good batting eye. His strength though, like his brother, is in his pitching; Shoma is an outstanding pitcher, with a blistering fastball, and an AWESOME knuckleball. Aside from hitting and throwing though, Shoma is an ace, blue chip baserunner, as his burning vigours, and special moves no doubt reflect. Though he's small, he's quite vocal, and a proud leader of the Gorin team, another trait that coaches look for in a baseball player. There's no doubt about it, if Shoma were a real person, he'd be in the Major Leagues in no time, and he would dominate the sport.

I tell you, as these lists go on and on, the characters to choose become tougher and tougher. Any game that had a baseball bat as a weapon, its characters were fair game for this list, however like my NFL lists, certain physical abilities and heights/weights make some players more desirable than others. I love baseball, and have loved it for my entire life, and that will never die. Whenever I play a baseball game on a console (no matter how good or bad it is), I do so with such fervor and gusto, and likewise, whenever I play a video game with a baseball element to it (a bat as a weapon, a ball as a weapon), I find myself using this weapon, or going back to said element, constantly, as baseball is my life! (funnily enough, I want to become a baseball commentator in the future) These characters just make me smile, and hopefully, as you bash a ball (or, another character!) in the game you are playing, you will smile as well!